5 podcasts to make you laugh, learn, and even fall asleep

It can be difficult to find the time to have well-rounded interests. Today, we are all supposed to be relaxed, centered, up-to-date on current events, and successful in our work. Social media adds additional pressure, so how do we keep up?

Podcasts can help keep you up-to-speed on everything from hobbies and personal interests to current events. Listen in bed, in the car, or on the treadmill-this medium offers flexibility and pleasure. Check out some of our recommendations on podcasts to tune in to.

TED Talks

Everyone talks about TED Talks. These short, poignant talks by thought-leaders from all walks of life are hosted by the non-profit TED Conferences. Offering these talks in the podcast format offers a way for listeners to catch up on old talks, or listen to new broadcasts on the go at their own convenience. Explore lists of the most popular TED Talks and classic talks from novelists, poets, and activists. TED Talks’ topics can help expand your horizons and always help start a conversation.

Criminal

For the inner-Columbo in all of us, Criminal offers listeners twice-monthly updates on unique and interesting crimes including who did what and who had what done to them. Launched in 2014, this award-winning podcast delivers new episodes on two Fridays each month led by journalists and co-creators Phoebe Judge and Lauren Spohrer. The podcasts include interviews and intimate accounts of real crimes that will educate and entertain.

You Must Remember This

While new Hollywood rules entertainment blogs and social media, Old Hollywood rules on You Must Remember This, a creative nonfiction podcast launched in 2014. The research-heavy podcasts tell the secret and forgotten tales of Old Hollywood in its early years. The podcasts feature notable guest speakers telling tales of Hollywood greats like Rudolph Valentino and Bela Lugosi. Step back in time and listen to the old secrets and new revelations from days gone by.

Sleep With Me

Americans spent $41 billion on sleep aids in 2016, but Sleep With Me offers an audible alternative. Billed as “the podcast that puts you to sleep,” this podcast offers adult bedtime stories inspired by creator Drew Ackerman’s own experience with adult insomnia. Ackerman’s goal with his podcast, inspired by late-night comedy radio, is “to help those who feel alone in the deep dark night and just need someone to tell them a bedtime story.”

The Science of Happiness

Did you know there is a science to being happy? Well there is, apparently, and Dacher Keltner, PhD, founding director of the Greater Good Science Center and a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, shares these secrets in his weekly podcasts on The Science of Happiness. Keltner covers it all, from reflections on family relationships and the dynamics of friendship and love to facing fears and dealing with anger. Promising research-based tips for leading a meaningful life, the podcasts are based in the fundamental lessons of positive psychology and finding happiness by working toward a greater good.